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Lucy Powell: Guardian Blogging on the Casino
Lucy Powell's third Guardian blog post leads on the consolation prize for the casino let down here. All down to John Leech and his sanctimonious MP chums from leafy suburbs. Plus the Blackpool posse. Who seemingly failed to notice that their bid was last. They were not close.
This is LOL not Lucy talking. Mr Leech is ignoring the desperate joblessness, over two and three generations in Openshaw, Clayton, Ancoats and Bradford which a leisure-anchored development could tackle with a good supply of C1C2D walk to work jobs of the range unlikely to ensue from any government office.
NOT TRIVIA: The Rev Leech was not even born when the famous Bradford Colliery was closed down on Friday, 6 September 1968. Eye witnesses tell me the workforce went off on their "wakes" and came back to find themselves locked out and redundant. The pit was still very rich in reserves, employed 1500 men, but was causing subsidence.
I was told that the clincher was the erection of the CIS building under which vicinity the workings were planned to extend. But that's not quite right as the tower was opened in 1962.
11 comments:
good god, how can a party such as yours ,that has had some great characters in parliament over the years, end up picking this wet lettuce as a candidate-benchilltory
What are you on about bht? The people of Manchester Withington need an effective, competent, articulate, cheerful champion. Currently they have a hoaxer, a misery and a cheat. Also ineffective. Not good enough.
The Tories have announced that they're not announcing a candidate for at least a couple of months. In what used to be a safe Tory seat. Get your own house in order matey.
Is Benchill Tory actually a lib dem?
That CIS story sounds pretty unlikely not just because it opened in 1962.
It's eight miles away so all of Ancoats, with it's many large warehouses, would be on the top of the mine. Presumbly, the sunsidence would have seen half of Manchester dissapear.
Last time I checked it was the Labour Government who withdrew the casino plans and then span a web of deceit and re-announcement over any replacement investment...
The pithead is nothing like eight miles away Stephen. It was close to where Grey Mare Lane now crosses Ashton New Road. With the velodrome and the B of the Bang landmarks that would have a good view of the winding gear.
The best new seams were indeed in the direction of town under Ancoats and Collyhurst. What workings were already there I'm not sure but the pit head was not much more than a mile from the CIS as the crow flies.
Iain: You are of course correct in saying that it was Brown's Labour that U-turned on the Casino. It was however patronising leafy shired Guardianista MPs and the Blackpool supporting rump who made the Commons Vote close and who won the victory in the Lords. Without that my guess is no U-Turn. Even now legally it is hard to justify as we may find out.
John Leech had no right to impose his own puritanism on this matter. His local party claim they were calling for a yes vote and he certainly did not consult working people in the constituency.
Without the close Commons, and No Lords votes there would have been no U-Turn. I blame Leech and his pals but we can rope some Tories in also.
PS Stephen - the workings main shaft was more than half a mile deep and the workings would have angled downwards quite steeply (1:2?) from there.
Plenty of local Labour MPs in the same boat as Leech, including if I remember correctly Worsley's own Barbara Keeley.
As for the motives behind the u-turn, I suspect Paul Dacre has far more to do with it than the MP for Withington ever could.
You remember incorrectly Iain. After being called Barbara Silly in comments here BK switched sides. You owe her one of your fulsome apologies.
Dacre? What cobblers. It's all down to Leech and to Blackpool hold outs.
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